RTI)
Heading into year six under Josh Heupel, expectations for Tennessee football are all over the place. Given a young quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, some think it could be a down year. On the other hand, Heupel has often gotten the most out of his rosters.
Ahead of fall camp, On3’s Chris Low took a look at the College Football Playoff picture and how that could impact teams in the SEC. When naming eight teams, the Vols didn’t appear.
Instead, Low placed Texas and Georgia as the best bets, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Alabama and LSU as serious contenders and Florida alone as the dark horse.
2026 SEC College Football Playoff Picture‼️
(via @Clowfb) https://t.co/QEQCpuOnKs pic.twitter.com/DPq5uZKSO5
— On3 (@On3) June 22, 2026
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The biggest question for Tennessee is the quarterback position. The Vols are holding a three-man battle for the starting job between redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre, true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub. Heupel said he won’t name a starter until deeper into fall camp, though.
The other question is on the other side of the ball. Heupel fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and replaced him with Penn State’s defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles. The duo then attacked the transfer portal to supplement the roster and retool the unit.
It will also be a nine-game SEC schedule for Tennessee and the rest of the conference. After opening with Furman, at Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State, the Vols will go through the gauntlet with the hope of earning a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff for the first time since 2024. That year, UT was the nine-seed before losing on the road at Ohio State in the first round.
